1. Democracy Athenian Democracy

2. Building Democracy • Athens was the largest and most powerful city-state to emerge in Greece. • Citizens participated in governmental decision making. • Around 600 BCE, Athens suffered economic problems. In order to pay debts, poor farmers pledged part of the their crops to wealthy landowners, then their land, then sold themselves into slavery. • Solon (594 BCE) one of the Seven Wiseman of Greece. He began a series of political reforms that greatly increased citizen participation in Athenian government. • Cleisthenes • Pericles

3. Direct Democracy • Pericles strengthened Greek democracy by increasing the number of paid public officials and by paying jurors. • Enabled poorer citizens to participate in government. • Direct Democracy- Form of Government in which citizens rule and make laws indirectly rather than through representatives.

4. Democracy • Rule of the people. • Ideas • Rule of Law • Code of Laws • Value of the Individual • Consent of the Governed • Citizen Participation

5. Adult male residents participated in government decision-making. • In 594 BC, Solon passed a law outlawing slavery based on debt and canceled the farmers’ debts. • Solon introduced the legal concept that any citizen could bring charges against wrongdoers. • Athenian leader Cleisthenes reorganized the assembly to balance the power of the rich and poor.

6. Athenian leader Cleisthenes increased the power of the assembly by allowing all citizens to submit laws for debate and passage. • During the war with the Persians, Athenians held public debates about how to defend their city. • Pericles strengthened Greek democracy by increasing the number of paid public officials and by paying jurors. • “Our constitution is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority, but of the whole people.” –Pericles

7. Greek philosophy: People can understand laws through logic and reason. The Greeks respected human intelligence and the power of reason.

8. Handout • In your opinion, which idea weighs more, in other words, which idea significantly contributes more to the idea of democracy? Rate them from 1-5 and explain your answer.